...one of the main threads of Hartzler’s narrative is his journey towards understanding that the beliefs to which his family so wholeheartedly, devotedly and genuinely subscribes...aren’t necessarily the same as his. Much of the conflict centers around faith, the form it takes and how we display it, but the harder emotions he grapples with—doubt, anger, confusion and heartbreak—are universal to adolescence, and to coming-of-age. Rapture Practice is about how he finds his way through all that and ultimately makes peace not just with how he’s different from his family, but how they’re different from him.

Unless otherwise noted, all donated books come from my personal collection, and have been reviewed by me, either here or at Kirkus Reviews.